Transport truck for circuit breaker units



06t- 12, 1954 G. L. cLAYBouRN TRANSPORT TRUCK FOR CIRCUIT BREAKER UNITS Filed Dec. 22, 1951 v2 Sheets-Sheet l CLN mvENToR Glen I.. Cloybourn.

@wi W fm M TNESSES. l W

ATTORN EY 0Ct- 12, 1954 G. L. CLAYBOURN TRANSPORT TRUCK FOR CIRCUIT BREAKER UNITS 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Dec. 22, 1951 INVENTOR Jihwmrl N m Iluw Clay'bourn.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. l2, 1954 TRANSPORT TRUCK FOR CIRCUIT BREAKER UNITS Glen L.V Claybourn, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to Westinghouse `Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 22, 1951, Serial No. 262,979

10 Claims.

My invention relates, generally, to metal enclosed switchgear and, more particularly, to trucks for transporting circuit breaker units externally of the stationary housings for the breaker units.

Outdoor metal enclosed switch houses are usually installed withthe floor of the house several inches above the surfaceof the concrete base pad. Steel rails are provided in the housing for the Wheels on themovable circuit breaker unit. It is necessary to provide a transport truck having rails thereon which are at substantially the same elevation as the rails in the housing to permit the breaker unit to betransferred easily from the truck to the housing or vice versa.

Normally, the concrete oor settles below the structural steel in the base pad. The structural steel is levelled and is the mounting surface for the housing structure. Since the transport truck rests on the concrete floor, differences in elevation may exist between the rails on the truck and the rails in the housing, thereby makingrit difIicult to insert or remove the circuit breakerunit.

An object of, myinvention, generally stated, is to provide a circuit breaker transport truck which is simple and efficient in operation and which may be economically manufactured.

A more specific object of my invention is to provide for adjusting a transport truck to compensate for diierences in elevation between the rails in the steel housing structure and the concrete floor, thereby permitting the` alinement of the rails on the truck with the rails in the stationary housing.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for retaining the circuit breakerunit on the truck during the transport operations.

A further object of my invention-is to provide means for securing the transport truck to the housing while transferring the breaker unit from the vtruck to the housing or vice versa.

Still another object of my invention is toprovide a common actuating means for both the breaker unit retainingmeans and thev truck-securing means.

A still further object of. my invention is to prevent tilting of the transport truck While transferring the breaker unit.

Other objects of my invention will be explained fully hereinafter or will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In accordance with one embodiment of my invention the rear wheel axle of a transport truck may be adjusted vertically by means operable from in front of the truck. "The breaker unit is retained on the truck, while being transported, by a latch operable from in front of the truck. Thetruck may be secured to the housing, while the breaker unit is being transferred from the truck to the housing or vice versa, by latch means also operable from in front of the truck. Rail guide and weight bearing extensions are provided on the rear of the truck to extend into the housing, thereby aligning the rails on lthe truck with the rails in the housing and preventing tilting of the truck while transferring the breaker unit.

For a better understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference may be had. to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a View, in plan, of a transport truck embodying `the principal features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view, in front elevation, of the truck shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view, in longitudinal section, taken along the line III-III of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a detail view, in plan, of a portion of the truck and housing structures, and

Fig. 5 is a reduced view, in plan, of one of the members of the truck.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, the structure 'shown therein comprises a transport truck I0 and a portion of a metal clad switchgear unit housing II which is shown by broken lines. The housing II may be of a type suitable for outdoor service and'comprises upright members I 2 disposed at the front corners of `the housing and having side sheets I3 attached thereto. Spaced rails I4r are provided on the oor of the housing for the wheels of a removable circuit breaker unit I5, see Fig. 3, which may be transported externally of the housing by means of the truck I0. Asv shown-in Fig. 3, the circuit breaker unit I5 rests upon the truck In while it is being transported to and vfrom the housing II.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 3, the transport truck III comprises a base I6 having a downwardly extending flange I'I around the base. The base I S is supported by a wheel axle I8 having wheels I9 mounted thereon at the rear end of the base and swivel wheels 2| at the front end of the base. The wheels 2| are mounted in swivels 22 which are attached to afflanged channel member 23 by means of bolts 24. The channel member 23 maybe welded to the bottom 'side of the base IIS or secured thereto in, any-,other suitable manner.

A generally Z-shaped stop member 25, which extends across the base I 6, may be welded to the top side of the base near the front end. The top of the VZ member 25 has a downwardly extending flange 26. A maneuvering handle El, which may be a round bar or pipe formed into a U shape, may be welded to the front flange I'I of the base l5 and also to the flange 26 on the Z member thereby providing a means for moving the truck I where desired.

The truck IU is provided with rails 3l for the wheels of the breaker unit I5. As shown in Fig. 1, the rails 31 are spaced apart the saine distance as the rails Ill in the housing II. The rails 3? extend rearwardly beyond the base I into the housing II when the truck Ill is in position in front of the housing. In order to insure that the truck will be in its proper position for transferring the breaker unit to or from the truck, a guide plate 38 is provided at the outer side of each rail 31. The plates 3S extend rearwardly beyond the ends of the rails 3l, and the inner side of each plate has a sloping surface 39 which will engage the outer side of one of the rails It in the housing to insure that the truck IG is properly positioned in front of the housing I I. Since the rails 3l and the guide plates 38 extend into the housing I I over the floor of the housing, they will support the weight of the breaker unit as it is being transferred to or from the truck Il), thereby preventing the truck from tilting under the weight of the breaker unit as the transfer is being made.

In order to secure the truck iB in its proper position in front of the housing I I while a transfer is being made, a latch 3l is provided for engaging each one of the upright members I2 at the sides of the housing ll. Each latch 3i may be actua-ted 'by a handle 32 disposed at the front corner of the truck i0. The handle 32 is secured to one end of a shaft 33 and the latch 3| is secured to the other end of the shaft 33. The shaft is rotatably mounted in sleeves 34, one of which is welded to a supporting bracket 35 at the rear of the truck. The other sleeve 3d is welded to a plate 36 which is bolted to the Z member 25 at the front of the truck. Thus, the latches 3l may be operated from in front of the truck I0 to engage the housing l I, thereby retaining the truck in position in front of the housing while a transfer of the circuit breaker unit is being made.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 4, latches ll are provided for retaining the circuit breaker unit l5 on the truck I@ while it is being transported. As shown in Figs. 1 and 4, a latch lll may be welded to each one of the shafts 33. The latches il are so disposed on the shafts 33 that they will engage corners of the breaker unit I5 when the latches are rotated 180 from the position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 4. Each latch ll may be actuated by means of one of the handles 32 secured to one of the shafts 33. It will be seen that the latches 3| are disengaged from the upright members I2 in the housing Ii when the latches 4I engage the breaker unit. Likewise, the latches M are disengaged from the breaker unit when the latches 3I engage the housing. In this manner, the breaker unit is prevented from rolling forwardly on the truck by the stop member 25 and it is prevented from rolling rearwardly by the latches 4I while the breaker unit is being transported on the truck l 8. When the latches Il! are disengaged, the latches 3I are engaged to attach the truck to the housing to permit the breaker unit to be transferred from the truck. to the housing or vice versa.

As explained hereinbefore, it is essential that the rails 31 on the truck be at substantially the same elevation as the rails I4 in the housing II while a transfer of the breaker unit is being made. As also explained hereinbefore, it has been found that the iloor portion of the concrete 'base pad which surrounds the steel framework on which the switchgear housing unit rests may settle varying amounts with respect to the steel framework, thereby making it desirable to provide for adjusting the elevation of the rear end of the truck i5. In order that this adjustment may be readily made, the rear axle I8 may be raised or lowered with respect to the base lll, thereby varying the elevation of the rear end of the base.

As shown most clearly in Fig. 3, the axle i8 is secured near the junction point of the two legs of an angle bar d6. The horizontal leg of the bar l5 is pivotally attached to the flange il of the base I S and the vertical leg of the bar i6 may be swung about the pivotal support for the bar, thereby moving the axle I8 in an arc about the pivotal support. The bar i6 is attached to the ange I 'l' by means of an angle bar lll which may be welded to the flange Il.

A detailed view of the member 46 is shown in Fig. 5. As shown, the horizontal leg of the bar i6 has two spaced notches I3 therein. Round bars lie extend across the notches t8 and may be welded to the horizontal leg of the bar 4E. As shown in Fig. 3, each one of the bars 49 is attached to the horizontal leg of the angle bar 41 by means of a clip 5l and bolts 52.

As also shown in Fig. 5, the vertical leg of the bar d6 has a notch 53 therein. A round bar 54 extends across the notch 53 and is welded to the vertical leg of the bar 4S. As shown in Fig. 3, an angle bar 55 is slidably mounted on the bottom side of the base I6. The bar 55 may be supported by pins 56 disposed in grooves 5l provided in the horizontal leg of the bar 55. As shown, the vertical leg of the bar 55 has a notch 5B therein for the bar 5d on the angle bar lili.

A plate 59 is welded to the angle bar 55 near the front end of the bar and a nut 60 is welded to the plate 59. The nut 5G is threaded foi` receiving a screw 6I, The screw GI is rotatably mounted in bearings 62 and 63. The front bearing 63 may be bolted to the flange Il. The U- shaped member 23 is notched at 6d to permit the screw to pass through the member 23. The rear bearing E2 comprises two spaced plates 65 which are attached to an angle bar 56 by bolts 57. A sleeve @i8 may be welded to the screw 6I and disposed between the plates $5 to function as a thrust bearing for the screw BI. A replaceable washer 5S may be provided between the sleeve E8 and the one plate 65. Spacing sleeves ll] are provided on the bolts 51 between the plates B5.

As shown in Figs. l and 3, a T handle 7| may be inserted through an opening 'I2 in the front flange il of the base IG onto the front end of the screw 6I. A pin 'I3 is provided near the end of the screw El and is engaged by the sides of a notch 'itl in the end of the handle 1I. Thus, the screw SI may be rotated in either direction by means of the handle '1I to move the angle bar 55 longitudinally of the base I6, thereby actuating the angle bar i6 about its pivotal support to move the axle I8 in an arc about the pivotal support for the angle bar 46. In this manner the rear end of the base I6 may be raised or lowered a. predetermined amount, as shown by the arrows at 75, to adjust the elevation of the rear end of the base to compensate for variations in the height. of the floor portion of the concretebase pad upon which the 'truck'lU-frests. 'As shown at 16 in Fig'. 2,.theswivel1wheels 2l. are mounted slightly lower. than the normal or midposition of the rearwheels Iliytlfiereloy leaving the base I6 substantially level a-ndmaking it unnecessary to push the breaker unituphill while it is being inserted into the housing afterthe rear end has been raised to compensate for settlingy of the concrete base pad.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have provided a` circuit'breaker transport truck which is relatively simple in structure and which is lreadily movable while supporting a circuit breaker unit. vThe truck may be secured in its proper position in front of a switchgear unithousing while transferring a breaker unit to 0r from the truck and the breaker unit may be retained on the truck by suitable latching means while it is being transported on the truck. The elevation of the rear end of the truck may be readily adjusted to compensate for differences in elevation between the stationary structure rails and the floor upon which the truck rests. All the adjusting means, as well as the latching means for securing the truck in position and for. retaining the circuit breaker unit on the truck are operable from in front of the truck at the convenience of the operator.

Since numerous changes may be made in the above described construction and dierent embodiments of the invention may be made Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is intended that all the matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unit having wheels thereon and adapted to be transferred from the truck into a switchgear housing having spaced rails therein, said truck comprising a base, a Wheel axle at the rear of the base, a swivel wheel at the front of the base, spaced rails on top of the base for the Wheels on the breaker unit, a rail guide disposed on top of the base adjacent to and extending rearwardly beyond each rail on the base and beyond the wheel axle to engage the rails in the housing, and mechanical means disposed underneath the base for moving the axle relative to the base to vary the elevation of the rear end of the base and said rail guides.

2. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unit having wheels thereon and adapted to be transferred from the truck into a switchgear housing having spaced rails therein, said truck comprising a base, a wheel axle at the rear of the base, spaced rails on top of the base for the wheels on the breaker unit, a rail guide disposed on top of the base at the side of each rail, said rail guides having sloping sides extending rearwardly beyond the ends of the rails on the base and the end of the base to engage the rails in the housing, and mechanical means for raising and lowering said axle to adjust the elevation of the rear end of the base and said rail guides.

3. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unit adapted to be transferred from the truck into a switchgear housing, said truck comprising a base for supporting the breaker unit, a wheel axle at the rear of the base, mechanical means operable from in front of the base for raising and lowering the axle to adjust the elevation of the rear end of the base, latch means disposed at the `rear(` of theftruck .for engagingthe housingto retain-'the truck .inposition fortransferring the breakerfunit from. the truck into the housing or vice versa, additional latch means for engaging the breaker unit to' retain it: ony the base, and commonmeans for actuating both of said latch means.

4. A transport truck for a circuit. breaker unit adapted to -be transferred from the truck into a switchgear housing, said vtruck comprising a base for Asupporting the breaker unit, a wheel axle at therear-of the base,'.mechanicalmeans operable from in front ofthe basefor raising and lowering the axle to adjust the elevation of the rear end lof the base, vlatch means disposed at the rear `ofy the `truck for.l engaging the housing vto retain. the truck '.in. position rfor transferring the breaker unit from the truckinto the housing or vice versa; additional latch means for engaging the breaker, unit tolretain it on the base, and common means for actuating both of said latch means, said common meansfbeing operable from in front ofv thetruck. f

5. A- transport truck for a circuit breaker unit adapted to be rtransferred from the truck into a lswitchgear housing, :said truck comprising a base for supporting the breaker unit, a wheel axle at the rear of the base, mechanical means operable from in front of the base for raising and lowering the axle to adjust the elevation of the rear end of the base, latch means disposed at the rear of the truck for engaging the housing to retain the truck in position for transferring the breaker unit from the truck into the housing or vice versa, additional latch means disposed substantially at the rear of the truck for engaging the breaker unit to retain it on the base, common means for actuating both of said latch means, and manually operable means disposed vat the front Yof the truck for actuating said common means.

6. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unit adapted to be transferred from the truck into a switchgear housing, said truck comprising a base for supporting the breaker unit, a wheel axle at the rear of the base, mechanical means operable from in front of the base for raising and lowering the axle to adjust the elevation of the rear end of the base, latch means disposed at the rear of each side of the truck for engaging the housing to retain the truck in position for transferring the breaker unit from the truck into the housing or vice versa, additional latch means disposed substantially at the rear of each side of the truck for engaging the breaker unit to retain it on the base, and manually operable means disposed at each side of the front of the truck and connected to both of said latch means on each side for actuating said latch means.

7. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unit adapted to be transferred from the truck into a switchgear housing, said truck comprising a base for supporting the breaker unit, a wheel axle at the rear of the base, mechanical means operable from in front of the base for raising and lowering the axle to adjust the elevation of the rear end of the base, latch means disposed at the rear of each side of the truck for engaging the housing to retain the truck in position for transferring the breaker unit from the truck into the housing or Vice versa, additional latch means disposed substantially at the rear of each side of the truck lfor engaging the breaker unit to retain it on the base, handle means disposed at the front of the truck for actuating said latch means, and

rotatable shafts connecting said handle means and said latch means, both of said latch means at one side of the truck being actuated by the same shaft.

8. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unitv having wheels thereon, said truck comprising a base having rails thereon for the Wheel on the breaker unit, a shaft rotatably mounted on the truck, a latch secured to the shaft above the base to engage the breaker unit to retain it on the base, and a housing engaging latch also secured to said shaft and spaced from said first-named latch, both of said latches being operable from in front of the truck by rotating the shaft.

9. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unit having wheels thereon, said truck comprising a base having rails thereon for the Wheels on the breaker unit, spaced upright members secured at the ends of the base, a shaft rotatably mounted in said upright members, a latch member secured to said shaft and disposed substantially at the rear of the truck to engage the breaker unit to retain it on the base, and a housing engaging latch member also secured to said shaft at the rear of the truck, both of said latch members being operable from in front ofthe truck by rotating said shaft. l

10. A transport truck for a circuit breaker unit having wheels thereon, said truck comprising a base having rails thereon for the wheels on the breaker unit, spaced upright members secured at the ends of the base, a shaft rotatably mounted in said upright members, a latch member secured to said shaft and disposed at the rear of the truck to engage the breaker unit to retain it on the base, and a housing engaging latch member also secured to said shaft, both of said latch members being operable from in front of the truck by rotating said shaft.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,587,624 Johnson Mar, 4, 1952 

